


The Disadvantages of Dating Jim Kirk

by jensenacklesruinedmylife



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Medical Professionals, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-20 13:06:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4788299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jensenacklesruinedmylife/pseuds/jensenacklesruinedmylife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[YOU GUYS, I'M BACK WITH SOMETHING NEW!!! Hopefully I'll actually update this one on a regular basis. I'll keep you updated in the notes. This one has been sitting in my computer files for a while. We'll see where it goes. I'm feeling inspired. Please read and enjoy!]</p><p>Modern Day Star Trak AU in which the Star Trek team works at Enterprise Hospital. </p><p>Leonard McCoy is an anxious, paranoid mess - unless he's working. He's the best orthopedic doctor in town. His boyfriend James Kirk, on the other hand, is Chief of Surgery at their hospital. He's laid back and goes with his gut, and it works...so far. While it sounds perfect, there are many disadvantages to dating Jim Kirk. First off, McCoy is completely in love with Kirk, but won't tell him because he thinks Jim is still afraid of commitment. Kirk, however, is simply waiting for McCoy to take the first plunge, because if there's one thing he's afraid of, it's unrequited love. The two doctors try to balance their professional and personal lives without falling into chaos. But big changes are coming - new staff, hospital expansions, big mistakes, and even a scandal or two. </p><p>In the end, Leonard McCoy will have to ask himself: is dating Jim Kirk really worth it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

With a loud pop – and an even louder, slightly muffled, scream from Jim – McCoy sets his boyfriend’s right shoulder back into place.

“Who goes hiking on their day off?” he asks under his breath. Unfortunately, Jim hears him.

“Some of us don’t mind living a little!”

Jim’s retort is muted by the cloth in his mouth. McCoy just shakes his head. Luckily, he had decided to bring a small med bag, despite Jim’s protests, and finds enough gauze to immobilize Jim’s rotator cuff in case there’s damage he can’t see. Of course, these caveman-like approaches wouldn’t be necessary if Jim had just _listened_ to McCoy when he had told him _not_ to set foot on a terrain devoid of any tourist traffic.

One disadvantage of dating Jim Kirk is McCoy’s overwhelming need to go along with him on every potentially dangerous expedition.

>> 16 hours before <<

“There has to be a reason not a single person has even tried to make it up that damn trail,” McCoy argues, staring pointedly at Jim, who sits contently in his office chair. “The ground is probably riddled with a lethal mixture of poisonous plants.”

“Doctor McCoy may be correct, Chief,” Spock agrees from somewhere to his left. “The fact that the terrain has never been thoroughly explored is reason for concern.”

It’s almost end-of-shift at Enterprise Hospital, and Dr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Chief Kirk are discussing Kirk’s plan to go hiking over the weekend. Autumn has arrived and Kirk wants to enjoy the weather while he can. But Kirk has never been one to keep things simple, oh no. He’s decided to hike an unmarked trail. McCoy thinks that’s inane.

“Or maybe,” Jim interrupts, taking another bite of the apple in his hand, “the trail is covered in tiny, undiscovered plant life and we just can’t see them. Don’t you think it would be a little unintelligent if we passed over the chance to discover a new species?”

“For god’s sake, Jim…” McCoy curses under his breath and stomps out of the office. It seems like every time Jim wants to do something stupid, he comes up with a stupid excuse as to why. “This is damn ridiculous.”He can never reason with Jim, and it bothers the hell out of him, because every time Jim ignores his advice, he ends up hurt. 99% of the time, he’s sure Spock would confirm. So why argue when he can go to his office on the orthopedics floor and prepare for what will probably be life-threatening injuries?

“Bones, wait up!” McCoy hears Jim jogging to catch up to him, but he doesn’t stop walking.

“Bones…babe, please,” Jim huffs, and McCoy stops short and spins around abruptly. Jim almost runs straight into him.

“What did I tell you about that?” he whispers with wide eyes. A quick look around tells him no one is in earshot, but one can never be too careful.

“About what, sweetheart?” Jim asks with a cheeky grin, wrapping an arm around McCoy’s waist.

“You _know,_ ” McCoy growls and puts a hand on Jim’s chest to distance them. “You know you can’t…talk to me like that in the hospital, James.”

The two men started dating about six months ago, and although they had been somewhat of an item in medical school for a while, McCoy insists they keep their relationship under wraps for now. Because Jim is now Chief of Surgery, dating anyone could create a conflict of interest, or something. McCoy is sure there’s a rule about it somewhere, and he doesn’t feel like being the reason Jim loses his position at Enterprise Hospital. In order to avoid this, McCoy instituted a no-PDA policy when they first got together, which includes romantic gestures, and addressing each other with pet names in public.

Needless to say, Jim is not too fond of said policy.

“James? Really?” Jim rolls his eyes and crosses his arms defensively. He _hates_ when McCoy calls him that, and McCoy knows it. “Fine, whatever. I’m gonna head to the floors for final rounds. I’ll see you next week, Leonard.” And with that, he turns to stride down the hall toward the elevator.  

Another disadvantage to dating Jim Kirk is that he now knows _even more_ ways to get under McCoy’s skin.

“Dammit,” McCoy mutters before following Jim down the corridor. When Jim steps onto the lift, McCoy rushes onto it before the doors shut firmly behind him. Jim still has his arms crossed and looks everywhere but at the doctor, who waits patiently for Jim to say something, because he’s better with talking things out than McCoy is.

When they are almost to the correct floor and Jim still hasn’t said a word, McCoy reaches over to the lift’s controls and activates the emergency stop.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting you to listen to me,” McCoy answers. He steps directly in front of Jim, who scoffs and backs away, only to get trapped by the mirrored wall of the elevator.

“What do you want?”

“Look, kid, I just… I don’t want you to hike up that stupid trail and for something to happen –.”

“Leo –.”

“ – and for the last memory you have of me to be us arguing,” McCoy finishes, dropping his gaze from Jim’s blue eyes. “If something happens…”

Jim stops McCoy with a chaste kiss on the mouth, and then places his hands on either side of the doctor’s face before speaking.

“Leo,” Jim says, and his voice is somehow simultaneously firm and gentle, which slightly baffles Bones, who is about to say something about PDA when Jim speaks again. “Nothing is going to happen to me, okay? I promise –.”

“You can’t possibly know –.”

“I promise,” Jim says again, smiling, “because I’m taking you with me.”

“You – I’m sorry, what?”

>><< 

Jim rips the piece of fabric out from between his teeth and inhales deeply as McCoy ties off the gauze. “Bones,” he grunts, attempting to push himself into an upright position. His hands ache from the fall. “Fuck, what the hell did you do to my arm?”

“What did I do? I _fixed_ your arm, Jim…for now, at least. You, on the other hand, didn’t take my advice, and these are the consequences.”

“Come on, Bones, this could just have easily have been you!”

McCoy scoffs, but he can’t help the smile that appears on his face. James T. Kirk is going to be the death of him.  And he’s going to love every minute of it.

Jim catches him smiling and rolls his eyes. “Is this amusing to you?”

“Of course not, darlin’,” McCoy replies. He absentmindedly kisses Jim’s temple while observing his handiwork. “Can you move your arm at all?”

“Barely,” Jim grimaces. “Are you sure you wrapped that correctly?”

“6 years of orthopedic medicine says yes, yes I did,” McCoy sasses back, “You’ve been calling me ‘Bones’ since med school, kid. Have a little faith.”

“I want a second opinion.”

“I should leave you here for even suggesting that.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh yeah?” McCoy raises an eyebrow at his injured partner. “How do you figure that?”

“I’m Chief of Surgery, and if you leave me here, the hospital will need a fill-in. We both know that would be you, and we both know you do _not_ want my job.”

Jim has a point. While McCoy considers himself an excellent leader, Jim’s responsibilities and long hours would drive him mad. He’s anxious enough as a doctor, although he never shows it, but he can’t imagine being Chief. Jim, however, handles high pressure situations almost effortlessly. To McCoy, it’s both unnerving and extremely attractive.

McCoy shakes his head, “Whatever. I’m gonna call the paramedics.”

Jim’s eyes go wide. While he’s an excellent doctor, he has always been a terrible patient, and avoided being a patient as much as possible. “Wait, what? No no no, I can walk! They probably wouldn’t even come up here, okay. We’ll hike back down and it’ll be fine, Bones, please don’t –.”

“Jim, I can’t get you to the ER as fast as they can, and your shoulder might be seriously damaged. You probably fractured your humerus. I saw you fall, and it was bad.”

“Oh, come on, it wasn’t _that_ bad.”

“Sweetheart, you face-planted into a pile of tree branches and rocks. You haven’t even seen your face yet. I’m looking at it, and it’s bad.”

Kirk reaches up to feel his face, but McCoy slaps his hand away.

“Ow! What?”

“Do you want a secondary infection? No, you do not. Touch nothing.”

Kirk sighs. “In my defense, I was looking back to make sure _you_ were keeping up, so I didn’t see where I was stepping.”

McCoy rolls his eyes. “Look, I still have to clean up the lacerations on your face, so I’ll call EMS, and you will sit still while I make sure you don’t get STAPH.”

“Are you gonna use the stuff that burns?”

“I can’t believe they gave you a medical license.”  

Kirk chuckles at that, but grimaces again. Now that his shoulder is throbbing a little less, the pain around his face is a bit more obvious.

“Fine, do what you must,” he pouts, “but for the record, I’m going to hate every minute of this.”

Bones regards his boyfriend for a second before rolling his eyes. He dials EMS, who are 10 minutes out. He reaches into the first aid kit to gather his supplies and pulls on a pair of gloves.

“What, I’m infectious now?”

“Are you always this obnoxious with your doctors, or is it just with me?”

Jim smirks, “Only for you, baby.”

“Lucky me,” McCoy scoffs. He hears Kirk laugh again, but it quickly becomes a whine. “Hey, you okay?” he asks, concerned.

“I’m fine, _mom,_ just patch me up already. My face hurts. Is there any Tylenol in that pack?”

McCoy just looks at Kirk, in that _way_ that he does, and Kirk knows he’s not getting any Tylenol. “You wanna make sure I don’t spike a fever.” McCoy nods, moving closer to begin dabbing Jim’s face with antiseptic wipes. “Babe – ow – come on, what are the chances?”

“Will you stop complaining for five minutes?”

“But Bones, I really think –.”

Jim can’t speak because McCoy is kissing him, and while it makes his face ache, Jim doesn’t stop him. He lets McCoy tilt his chin with a gloved finger and kiss him, over and over again, in that delicate way that he does.

When it’s over, Jim whines, but not because his face hurts, “Mmm, what was that for?”

“It’s the only damn way to shut you up, short of killing you.”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t choose the latter. I bet it was a close call.” Jim is grinning now, and McCoy wants to kiss him again, but he has work to do.

“You bet your ass it was, but now you’re less antsy, which is what I wanted. Win-win.” He dabs a particularly nasty cut on Jim’s cheek and Jim flinches slightly. “Sorry, darlin’.”

Suddenly, the doctors hear sirens in the distance. “Finally,” McCoy comments, still dabbing Jim’s face. “Now they can deal with you.”

“Oh shut up, Bones, you love dealing with me.”

 _I just love you,_ McCoy thinks to himself. But he can’t say it out loud. Not to James. Those words mean commitment, and James T. Kirk was definitely _not_ the poster child for that concept. It was something that plagued their relationship in medical school. Things were different now, but McCoy didn’t want to risk messing things up.

“Babe? You okay?”

Jim’s voice shakes McCoy out of his thoughts. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just, ready to get out of here.


	2. Chapter 2

“Dr. Sulu, would you like to present?”

“Of course, Dr. McCoy.” The young resident nods his head and picks up the chart at the foot of the hospital bed. “Patient’s name is James Kirk, and he sustained a right humerus fracture as well as a rotator cuff injury yesterday afternoon while hiking. Vitals have been stable, except for a slightly elevated temperature. Lab results are normal and show no signs of infection.”

“Told you,” Kirk mutters grumpily from the bed. He yawns, still tired. 7AM rounds are one of the many reasons he hates being a patient. The 7AM pain meds, however, weren’t so bad.

McCoy ignores him. “What kind of fracture?” he continues.

“Uh…” Dr. Sulu quickly flips through Kirk’s chart and pulls out the x-ray of his upper arm. He holds it up toward the ceiling lights in the room and squints. “It seems to be a hairline fracture, which should heal on its own in about 6-10 weeks.”

“10 weeks!?” Kirk groans, “I don’t remember learning that in medical school.”

“That’s because you were hungover every time we had an orthopedics rotation,” McCoy deadpans, and the residents chuckle, but quickly regain their composure after a dirty look from their attending physician. Kirk may be a patient, but he’s still their Chief, and McCoy won’t have them forgetting that.  

“Dr. Marcus, tell me about the rotator cuff injury.”

The blonde steps forward to grab the chart from Sulu. She clears her throat and uses her free hand to fix her bangs before she flashes a big smile in Kirk’s direction.

McCoy suppresses his urge to groan when Kirk smiles right back. Everyone who knows Carol Marcus knows the resident is hot for the surgical chief. Kirk was, of course, flattered when he heard a new female resident was making heart eyes at him. McCoy, however, was less than pleased. And in this moment, McCoy wishes the world knew that Jim Kirk was a taken man.

Another disadvantage of dating Jim Kirk is that he is a shameless flirt.

“According to the x-ray and the MRI done on the patient’s shoulder, there is a tendon tear that, while small, needs to be repaired surgically. The procedure would include arthroscopy, to view the damage before making several small incisions to repair the –.”

Kirk’s smile drops, “Wait, surgery?”

“Yes?” Dr. Marcus replies, sounding confused.

“Is she wrong?” Dr. Sulu asks excitedly. “Did she read the tests wrong?”

“I did _not,_ Hikaru,” she whispers angrily, “Shut up!”

“Does the Chief of Surgery have a problem with…surgery?” McCoy asks.

Kirk throws him a look before dismissing his residents with a wave, “Give Dr. McCoy and I a moment, would ya?”

After the residents scurry out of the room, McCoy follows them to close the door, and then turns to face Kirk. “Alright, what’s the issue now?”

“Bones, surgery? Going under the knife?”

“It’s a really tiny blade, Jim, only a few incisions –.”

“I _know_ all that, but I’ve never had surgery in my life!”

“You perform one almost every day, kid; it’s practically the same thing.”

“Wow,” Kirk claps loudly, mocking his boyfriend, “So much empathy, you could make a grown man cry.”

McCoy stares blankly at Kirk before pinching the bridge of his nose and walking toward the bed. “You’re a piece of work,” he sighs. “Look, I know you’ve always been paranoid about this but it’s a really simple procedure, hon. I’ve done it myself, and you’ll be okay. I can call up the state’s best and try to find someone who wouldn’t mind coming in last minute –.”

“Wait, why would you call someone else?” Kirk asks, “You’ve done it before, haven’t you?”

“Well yeah, but –.”

“So, you’re the best here, and this needs to be done today or Pike is gonna chew me out for taking a patient’s bed for longer than necessary.”

McCoy chuckles and plops down on the couch next to the window. “Better not tell him you’re in a suite.”

“ _You_ got me the suite!”

“Yeah, because you always complain about how much you hate the smaller rooms.”

“Because they’re dingy,” Kirk says, cringing.

“You’re so high maintenance.”

“Whatever, anyway, you’re doing my surgery. How about…” Kirk pulls out his smart phone and scrolls though the surgical schedule, “OR-3 is free this afternoon. Sound good?”

McCoy’s stomach churns, “You awfully comfortable with this all of a sudden.”

“Well yeah, I happen to know that the hot doctor fixing me up is _very_ good with his hands,” Kirk winks. He knows how much McCoy can’t stand discussing their private affairs in public. If there’s one thing Jim loves, it’s getting under Bones’ skin. “I also hear he’s a bit of a coddler, so I know I’ll be getting _excellent_ post-surgical care.”

“Would you knock it off? A nurse could walk in any second,” McCoy runs a hand through his hair and stands. He feels nervous. Kirk notices immediately.

“Bones,” he starts, reaching out with his left hand, “come here.”

McCoy glances at the door to make sure it’s closed, and then grabs Jim’s hand with his own and squeezes.

“You know if you worry, I’m gonna freak out,” Jim smiles, “I’m not worried because I trust you. I’ve always trusted you. You said it’s a simple procedure, right?”

“It is,” McCoy answers, “but there are always –.”

“I’m aware of the risks, dummy, I’m the Chief.”

McCoy shakes his head, “I can’t believe they hired you.”

“Hey, asshole, I earned this job, thank you.”

“Of course you did, kid,” McCoy teases, laughing when Kirk pulls his hand away and pouts. “Oh, come on, Jim, you know I’m just messing with you.”

“Kiss me,” Jim says, like they’re actually patients and not doctors in their place of work.

“What?”

“Kiss me and I’ll forgive you for being so rude.”

McCoy raises a brow, but after another glance at the door, he leans down and indulges Jim (who is injured, after all) with a strong kiss on the mouth. Jim’s left hand comes up to anchor itself in McCoy’s dark hair, and he smiles into the kiss when Bones sighs blissfully. All too soon, McCoy stands back up.

“One more?” Kirk asks, hopeful.

“What did I say about PDA?”

“I’m about to have surgery, babe, come on. Make an exception.”

“I’ve already made way too many of those for you, Chief Kirk,” Bones smirks. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go plan your surgery.”  

“If I could move both my arms, I would be crossing them right now,” Kirk whines.

“Of course you would, honey,” McCoy teases, leaving before Kirk can think of another retort. He’s surprised to find Carol Marcus standing right next to the door.

_Did she hear anything?_

“Dr. Marcus,” McCoy says slowly, “shouldn’t you be doing your rounds?”

“Uh,” she looks down at her feet, but McCoy can still see the blush rising on her cheeks, “yes, sir, but I had a question. I couldn’t find you on the floor so I waited by the room.”

McCoy raises both eyebrows sarcastically, “So this must be important. What’s your question?”

“Um, well…” Carol scratches the back of her ear with the capped end of her pen and it’s glaringly obvious that she’s guilty of eavesdropping. McCoy wants to know what she heard, but he decides to pretend he doesn’t know she was listening in. He’ll have time for damage control later.

“Well, I’ve gotta go prepare for Chief Kirk’s surgery, so when you remember your question, just page me, okay?”

“Yes, I will, thank you doctor,” Dr. Marcus says quickly before rushing to leave. _Shit,_ McCoy thinks, walking toward his office, _she’s gonna tell someone, maybe everyone, and Pike is gonna have a freakin’ field day –._

“Oof!”

McCoy looks up, stunned to see that he’s run right into Spock.

“Dr. Spock, so sorry, I uh, got lots on my mind and wasn’t paying attention, my apologies.”

“Apology accepted, doctor,” Spock replies, “You do seem troubled.” Spock was a psychiatrist turned neurosurgeon, so he had an eerily accurate way of reading people. It freaked everyone out. Kirk, however, thought it was the coolest thing ever. “Would you like to talk? I have some time.”

Usually, McCoy would turn down anything like this. He doesn’t want to hear any psychobabble, but he can’t let his paranoia get the best of him. Not before performing surgery on his boyfriend. Talking might clear his head.

“Sure, why not,” McCoy shrugs, “Your office?”

“Right this way,” Spock nods and turns back down the hall. They go up one flight of stairs to the neurology floor and into Spock’s large office.

“Have I ever told you that your office is twice the size of mine?”

“Exactly 14 times,” Spock replies, nonchalant. The tall man sits down at his desk. “Now, the topic at hand – what is on your mind?”

McCoy sits in the cushioned chair across from Spock and sighs, “Kirk wants me to perform his surgery.”

“I see no issue with that. You’re an excellent surgeon.”  

“Yes, thank you, I know, but…” _But what? You’re in love with him so it might cloud your judgment?_ McCoy thinks, and he’s not sure how to finish his sentence out loud. No one knows about he and Kirk, and he’d like to keep it that way. Word spreads to fast at Enterprise Hospital, and McCoy doesn’t want any extra attention.

“But what?” Spock prompts, alerting McCoy that he’s been silent for too long.

“Nothing, never mind,” he starts, “it’s probably just nerves –.”

“Dr. McCoy, may I ask you a personal question?”

 _Uh oh._ McCoy tries not to break a sweat, but Spock’s tone is making him nervous. _Stay cool, Leonard, there’s no way he knows anything._ “Um, sure, shoot.”

“Are you and Chief Kirk seeing each other?”

McCoy just stares.

“Romantically, I mean,” Spock corrects, “Are you together? Dating? Are you lovers?”

“Wait, uh,” McCoy shakes his head and shifts position in the chair. _How the hell did he know?!_ “I’m sorry, um, you think Kirk and I are…together?”

“I see the way you look at each other. It doesn’t take a neurosurgeon to figure that out. I believe the phrase is, ‘It’s not rocket science.’ I believe I am right.”

McCoy is still stunned, but he decides to be honest. Spock also has a knack for sniffing out liars, which comes in handy with shifty patients. “I wouldn’t call us _lovers_ , although Jim might, but yeah, yes we’re um, together. We haven’t told anyone, for professional reasons.”

“I understand. It is a secret. But as to your predicament, I believe your concern is that your feelings will affect your surgical skills. Because of this, I don’t think you should go through with it.”

“And I agree, but Spock, it has to be done today, it’s an outpatient surgery and we can’t afford to lose a bed.”

“Is there anyone else –.”

“Kirk doesn’t want anyone else. He specifically told me to do it. You know how he hates being a patient? Well I’m the only reason he’s not freaking out about the procedure.”

“He doesn’t see the possible issue with that request?” Spock asks, as if he actually expects Jim Kirk to be reasonable.

“Guess not,” McCoy replies.

“I see,” Spock tilts his head to the side, “He doesn’t know that you’re in love with him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm working on a story outline so that I can update this fic regularly and actually have a conclusion in mind. Thanks for reading! I'll try and have the next chapter up by the end of the month!


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